


and if i get burned, at least we were electrified

by weneedmemories



Category: SK8 the Infinity (Anime)
Genre: 3+1 Things, Ambiguous/Open Ending, Canon Compliant, Confessions, Light Angst, M/M, Pining, heavily based on ep 8, i just really wanted to write something about reki watching langa on the window, icb we’re not reaching and langa canonically likes reki, reki gets nightmares about adam, unbetaed and somewhat has rushed pacing because we die like men
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-28
Updated: 2021-02-28
Packaged: 2021-03-12 04:13:59
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,606
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29753883
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/weneedmemories/pseuds/weneedmemories
Summary: the three times reki thinks about what it’s like to have langa look at him the same way he looks at his best friend, and the one time langa meets his eyes to let him know he does.or, several accounts of reki watching langa’s reflection through the classroom window.
Relationships: Hasegawa Langa/Kyan Reki
Comments: 2
Kudos: 131





	and if i get burned, at least we were electrified

The first time Reki finds himself staring at Langa’s reflection through the glass window beside him, he has to watch the perplexed look on Langa’s face when a classmate tells him she likes him.

It’s taking a while longer for the next teacher to arrive so everyone’s busy doing things on their own. He sees a paper plane flying out the window and hears the loud  _ now I have to make another one  _ that accompanies it.

In a different corner of the room, someone starts singing and it’s an undoubtedly nice voice but Reki’s been hearing the same song for days that it’s starting to make him sick at this point so he slumps on his desk and focuses on a bird that passes by to drown out all the background noise, but instead he just becomes hyper aware of the new voice that shoots its way to his ear in harsh waves.

“I like you, Hasegawa-san.”

The confession is brief and forward; just those four simple words. No one else even seems to make a big deal out of it besides him. Maybe it’s the way Reki feels like it’s a little too intimate for him to hear that makes the whole situation uncomfortable. He’s not eavesdropping but it just feels wrong to be an audience to this.

He decides he should pay no mind so he goes back to staring at anything that’s on the other side of the window but he’s met with Langa’s reflection there instead, which makes it harder for him to ignore things.

The reasonable thing to do is to close his eyes but it’s easier said than done when he sees the instant change in Langa’s face. It goes from the usually stoic expression to one that has his eyebrows meeting in the middle in obvious confusion. Reki can’t blame him for reacting that way when he’s only been here for months. He’s probably wondering  _ why,  _ but Reki doesn't hear him ask.

His response comes seconds later, and it’s just as simple as the confession when he says  _ thank you  _ with the smallest hint of a smile. Nothing comes after that because the teacher arrives before their classmate could say anything in return.

Everyone gets settled, and Reki should too but while everyone is back to listening to the teacher’s lecture, he remains still; stuck watching Langa’s reflection so he sees how his face eases back to its default state.

It’s only been a while but Reki wants to believe he knows Langa enough to know that he’s aware that people talk about him. About things like why he’s here or why he only hangs out with Reki or that girls find it attractive that he doesn’t smile.

Reki doesn’t understand why there’s a sudden pride that clouds his chest because of the fact that he’s seen Langa smile (probably more times than others could in a lifetime).

But that’s the thing. He likes watching the way Langa’s mouth curves up whenever he feels the surge of electricity through his veins after a successful attempt to do flips he’s been having difficulty doing.

Reki doesn’t say it but he gets the same feeling when he sees Langa glow, and for the first time since Langa came hurling into his life, he wonders if his face lights up that way, too, when he skates or makes boards, and whether Langa sees it if he does.

\--

Reki has come to terms with three things: 1) He’s never going anywhere near Adam again, 2) He’s not letting Adam anywhere near Langa again, and 3) He likes his best friend.

Similar to the confession Langa received before, Reki’s realization is nothing but ordinary. It’s not something like romance movies or novels make it out to be. There are no fireworks; just a small spark that prickles on his skin every time their elbows brush.

One thing media and fiction are right about, though, is how his heart goes wild. It’s much like skating but instead of excitement and fear, having Langa close to him makes him feel more at ease; like everything around them disappears and it goes quiet to the extent that he can hear his heartbeat from a mile.

He takes one look at Langa through the window, and it proves to be true once more because he has to clutch at the fabric covering his chest as if that’s going to do anything to silence the sudden drumming of his heart.

_ Blink. Boom. Blink. Boom. _

A part of him hopes Langa doesn’t hear it. A different part of him hopes he does so Reki won’t have to say anything anymore because if there's another thing romance movies or novels portray accurately is how hard it is to put your feelings into words, especially for someone you want by your side forever.

Langa might be confused about how anyone can like him but right now he’s watching Langa have a hard time opening his yogurt cup, and Reki thinks people like him because they see something in Langa that he doesn’t see in himself.

Reki takes a final glance at Langa’s face then closes his eyes but that only makes his thoughts more vivid. He thinks about how Langa holds both oceans and skies in his eyes, how he drowns in them but how they also make him feel like he’s floating.

Just as he drifts off to sleep to keep all these thoughts away, Reki wonders if Langa sees fire when he looks into his eyes.

\--

Keeping Adam away from Langa is easy, but keeping Langa away from Adam and the entire world of  _ S  _ isn’t, so he pulls himself back from everything instead.

He stopped counting the days since he started avoiding Langa, and this time feels just as difficult as all the other times have been.

Some nights he gets dreams where he’s on a one-on-one match with Adam, and he wakes up with cold sweat when it ends in him receiving more than just an injured arm. Sometimes it’s Langa in his place, and those are the ones that make him want to run to Langa’s house in the middle of the night to beg him not to go against Adam again. Dreaming about it tortures him enough already, so he doesn’t need to see it  _ actually _ happening.

He doesn’t want these thoughts but last night was the beginning of the tournament, and there are a million scenarios in his head that he tries to shake off.

It’s been days since that rainy encounter with Langa and he’s still mad that Langa keeps a hard head so he hasn’t dropped out from the competition. Reki didn’t ask but the texts from Langa last night told him anyway.

It was late when the messages came in. His resolve was slowly crumbling, and there’s the fact that he’s more worried than angry, so he wanted to send a text back.

_ Please stop. _

_ Be careful. _

_ I like you, Langa. _

In the end he slept with his phone tucked under his pillow with all of those messages unsent.

But today, too, he wants to say those words, and today, too, he doesn’t.

“Hey, Langa!”

“You barely made it!”

“Morning, Langa!”

“Morning.”

Langa has people greeting him now. That makes Reki happy.

“Morning, Reki.”

He’s there in Reki’s line of sight on the window again. He is somehow relieved to see him alright but he’s not ready to face him when he’s barely slept and has a clogged mind so he keeps his back to him and replies with a soft, “ _ Hey.” _

“I got past the qualifiers.”

He has the faintest smile when he says this so Reki suddenly feels bad that he can’t support him the same way he used to.  _ Am I being selfish for wanting him to quit? _

The apology rests on his tongue but saying sorry might imply that he’s okay with how things are when he’s still very much against the idea of Langa seeking thrill with the possibility of Adam causing him harm, that’s why stays quiet for a few seconds and settles for: “It has nothing to do with me, though.”

Langa is his friend before he’s someone he likes, and that alone is enough reason to make him scared. He’s no longer looking at Reki but Reki continues to watch him.

There are many instances where he’s looking at Langa, and this time looks at him like he’s scared of losing Langa, and Reki feels his heart break at the thought that Langa doesn’t look at him like he’s scared of losing Reki, too.

\--

The fourth time Reki watches Langa’s reflection on the window, he’s surprised to see Langa already looking at him.

Like the first time, the next teacher is taking a while longer to arrive so everyone is busy in their own worlds again.

Between the two of them, no one says anything for a while. They’re just watching each other through their reflections, almost looking like they’re just waiting for the other to tear their eyes away.

One heartbeat becomes two and two becomes three but they just keep still, only blinking but their gazes never faltering.

Langa smiles at him, and after what seems to be forever, Reki brings himself to smile back.

There are a lot of words left unsaid but for now this is enough for him because Langa is looking at him like he holds fire in his eyes and Langa doesn’t mind if he gets burned, and that’s how he thinks things will be okay.

Unlink the first time, a confession doesn’t happen.

_ Tomorrow _ , Reki thinks.


End file.
